Helpless
by aslycsi1315
Summary: Garcia learns from an unsub's mother that she is stronger than she thinks she is during a kidnapping.


**A/N: This was written in response to the Original Character Challenge. Also, for those like myself approaching finals, good luck!**

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." - Eleanor Roosevelt

**January 19, 2012- Sarasota, Florida**

Blood.

She couldn't believe that the warm liquid on her skin was blood, _actually_ her blood.

Penelope Garcia was lying on a floor when she had woken up. The technical analyst let out a whimper when she realized that she wasn't where she was supposed to be….

_What happened? _She thought. Garcia forced herself into a sitting position, ignoring the dizziness and throbbing headache.

"He-lp?" Garcia called out into the darkness that surrounded her. No one answered back as she expected. The technical analyst grimaced as she pulled herself forwards to get a better view of her surroundings. Garcia made it halfway up to a standing position before she realized that she was in a cage.

"What the- Oh My God!" she exclaimed. Cold silver bars separated her from freedom. It was like she had been captured and trapped like an animal. _Wait! Where's Hotch and JJ? _Garcia thought. The Unit Chief and the blonde profiler had been with her…

"JJ? Hotch?" Garcia whimpered. With all her might, Garcia tried to remember the last thing that happened before waking up in the cage. Her mind only drew one image- the SUV speeding down the slick Montana roads towards the airport. Hotch was sitting in the passenger seat while Detective Evan Quartermaine was driving. JJ and Garcia were sitting in the back talking about Henry, JJ's son.

Garcia closed her eyes and took a minute to analyze the memory. _Why the hell hadn't Hotch said anything about how dangerously fast the detective was driving? Hell, why hadn't JJ or I said anything about it? I think I had gotten so sleepy…for ten in the morning-_

"Hello!"

"Aahh!" Garcia screamed, jumping back to the other edge of the case. A bright eyed woman in her late forties stood outside the cage donning a yellow sundress. The woman could pass for normal on any given day.

"Oh, don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you," the woman said in a warm, gentle voice. To Garcia, it was mothering.

Too mothering.

"Who-who are you? Why do you have me here?" Garcia stammered. She pressed her back against the opposite side of the cage, placing as much distance between the woman and her as possible.

The woman chuckled and said, "I'm Sarah Quatermaine, Evan's mother. You're here for a very special reason, Penelope."

"What exactly is that?"

"My son saw you and your friends at the police station and thought that it would be best for you to join our cause," Sarah's gaze traveled around the room as she spoke, "Unfortunately, we could only take three of you."

"How did you-how could you have-"

"I'm a bit knowledgeable in pharmaceuticals. You all were drugged, my son crashed the SUV, and then we brought you all here."

"What?" The memory suddenly came back to her- Hotch, JJ, and Garcia had driven halfway to the airport before all three of them had felt sick. The detective had coincidently driven by and offered to give them a ride. JJ and Hotch had fallen asleep relatively quickly, leaving Garcia to struggle to stay awake until Evan crashed the car.

Oh God, Oh God- _Wait a minute, what am I thinking? _Garcia felt a pit in her stomach at the fact that she was freaking out. Remembering a strategy from the many, _many_, lessons of self-protection from Morgan, Garcia decided to change the subject. "Where are the other two that were with me?"

"My son is tending to them right now." Sarah sat down on a stool across from the cage and folded her hands in her lap. Garcia only stared back, mouth agape at the woman's actions. It was then that Garcia wished that she had been included in the _how to act when kidnapped_ teachings that the rest of her team mates most likely got at the FBI academy.

"So what's your name?" Sarah brightly asked. Garcia answered, stupefied, "Penelope Garcia. I'm with the FBI to help the police, who are probably looking for us."

"Well, they'll never find us. We're way off any roads that these police ever knew." Sarah suddenly tapped her thigh and said, "You know what? Since you will be joining the cause , I should show you around."

_Delusional! This woman is past delusional! _Garcia thought, _Oh, I wish I knew how to deal with this! This is why I stay in Quantico…most of the time. _While lost in her thoughts, Garcia hadn't noticed that Sarah was digging around in a case below the cage.

"What are you doing?" Garcia hesitantly called out, not stepping away from her spot in the cage. Sarah brushed her red hair behind her ear. She pulled a weapon out from the case and encouraged Garcia to come forward. The TA froze in her steps, furiously nodding her head no.

"Come, Penelope. I want to show you what we are planning." Sarah raised the gun, causing Garcia to whimper. She stepped towards Sarah, her entire body trembling. Sarah unlocked the cage and pulled Garcia out. She fell onto the floor, which was gravel. It was then that Garcia realized that they were in a barn. Chains were dangling from the walls that surrounded two cages, the second one empty.

"My people are going to find and rescue me," Garcia stammered. Sarah motioned Garcia forward and said, "Of course they will, my dear."

"Don't humor me," Garcia unintentionally snapped. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the words that had just come out of her mouth. Completely uncharacteristic, it sounded like the words that would come from the stronger female members of the team, JJ and Prentiss.

Sarah only laughed. "You're just like me, you know. Well…more like I was when I was your age- unique with some spunk. Come on." They walked past the second cage where the floor of it was stained with blood. Garcia took note of it and felt her stomach drop.

"Please…let me go. I have my friends- the two that was with me have children! I need to know if they're ok!"

"You're such a stylish young woman," Sarah commented on Garcia's ripped stripped purple and yellow dress as she ignored Garcia's pleading, "In another life, my son would have loved you."

"Your son? You mean Evan?"

"Of course, my dear. Who else?" Sarah pointed to a small cage, where two bodies lay. It was two of the women that the team had been looking for, Ariel Smith and Lana James. Sarah caught Garcia's shocked expression. She pointed towards the bodies with her free hand. "They didn't make my son happy so I had to kill them."

_Think like a profiler! Think! _"You talk a lot about Evan," Garcia said. Sarah stepped around Garcia and stated proudly, "He's my star. I don't know if I'd be able to…never mind."

"What? Function without him?"

He's my son!" Sarah exclaimed. She raised the gun towards Garcia. "He's all I have and I want to make my little guy happy."

"He's 36 years old-"

"Don't-"The bright mood from Sarah disappeared quickly. Her expression was angry mixed with a slight bit of hesitation. Garcia took that into account. "Sarah, you can function without your son! Please, please, please don't think that you're weak."

"I won't do very well on my own-"

"Mother! They both heard from the barn door. Detective Evan Quatermaine walked towards Sarah and Garcia, brandishing a silver revolver. "Why is she out of her cage?"

"Evan, I don't-I don't….I just wanted to talk to her!" Sarah stammered. Evan yanked her towards him and spat, "I gave you a simple order, mother! You were doing so well- finding me girls, but this…letting her out is just pitiful!"

"I apologize-"

"Shut up." Evan eyed Garcia quickly before turning to his mother and whispering something inaudible in her ear. Evan handed Sarah the revolver and directed, "I don't like her, Mother. Get rid of her."

"No! Please don't!" Garcia begged. Still on her knees, Garcia cried, "I don't want to die! Please- why did you kill them?"

"She's too clingy and weak," Evan told his mother, "Kill her now."

"No! Please!" Garcia pleaded, "I don't think you want to do this, Sarah. I know what it's like to feel scared and helpless. My parents died when I was a young adult and I didn't know if I could function being alone. Years later, I have a family, a sweet boyfriend, and a great job that allows me to help people just like you and me. I'm begging you not to kill me!" A tear ran down Garcia's cheek.

Sarah's lips and hands began to tremble. She quickly glanced between her son and the sobbing technical analyst. Evan growled at his mother, "Kill her!"

Garcia started to slowly back away, but stopped short when she felt a shard of glass hit her back. It was hidden from view under a stack of papers, most likely coming from a shattered mirror. As Sarah continued to contemplate her decision, Garcia slid the glass under her sleeve as Evan and Sarah continued to argue.

"Mother! Kill her!"

Sarah started nodding her head in disagreement at Evan. He growled in annoyance and shoved his mother out of the way, sneering, "Weak and helpless, Mother. You've always been too weak! I'll do it!"

When Evan raised a hand to hit Garcia, she moved into action. She grabbed the glass and thrust it into the man's abdomen. He fell back while Sarah screamed. She dropped the gun on the ground and covered her mouth in disbelief. As if it were done on perfect timing, the doors to the barn opened, revealing dozens of police cars and one of the federal SUVs. Morgan and Rossi stood at the front of the group, yelling, "FBI! Hands on your head!"

"Derek, it's ok! We're ok!" Garcia yelled. She put up a hand to block the blinding headlights from her view. It took a minute before Reid was at Evan Quatermaine's side, checking his pulse. Garcia felt Morgan pull her onto her feet.

"Where's JJ and Hotch?" she stammered. _Please be alive, _Garcia thought. Morgan wrapped her arms around her and said, "They were in the house in front of the barn. Emily is riding with them to a nearby hospital."

Garcia saw two officers speaking with Sarah. She seemed lost, a complete change in behavior from earlier.

"Do you think Sarah's going to be alright?" Garcia asked Morgan. He looked down at his feet and sighed. "I don't know, Baby girl. I'm not really concerned with her welfare seeing that she held you hostage."

"Derek, I don't think she was completely in on this. I mean, look at her." Sarah's demeanor reminded Garcia of a scared child lost in a mall. "Her son told her to kill me and she almost went through with it. I think she feels helpless without her son. She's kind of like me."

Morgan grabbed her shoulders and stared directly into her eyes. "In no way shape or form are you like Sarah Quatermine."

"I am, Derek. When I'm with you guys on the road, I'm useless. When I'm in Quantico and you guys are out there getting shot at, I feel helpless. I need you guys." She dropped the shard of glass onto the ground and saw Sarah being put away in a police vehicle. Morgan let out a chuckle and asked, "Really?"

Garcia raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean-really, SSA badass Morgan?"

"Look around Penelope. You killed the unsub and talked down the mother from shooting you. You make this team run," Morgan wrapped an arm around a trembling Garcia, "You aren't helpless at all, Missy. You are one of the strongest people I've ever met."

"You really think so?"

Morgan laughed and kissed her cheek. "I know so."

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."- Mahatma Gandhi

**The End**


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